It's a tradition unlike any other an obscure day in late winter is the official start of the new league year.

And it doesn't mean as much as it used to.

It used to be the start of free agency.

Now free agency begins 52 hours before they

drop the ball on Park Avenue on the new league year. I forgot today was the official day.

That's where it's become so insignificant. Yeah, it really is meaningless. But for the fact

that all teams have to be under the new salary cap by

4 o'clock Eastern. So there still may be more moves as teams cut players or renegotiate

contracts, activate the automatic restructuring that is in most veteran contracts now.

Trades become official at 4 p.m. Eastern, as long as both teams insert the key

and turn the right way. The trades aren't done until they're reported independently by the two

teams. Free agents, unrestricted free agents who have contracts that expired. They weren't cut in advance,

or they're not going to be cut today to take advantage

of the post-June 1 splitting of salary cap consequences over two years. That's why Aaron

Rogers will be released officially after 4 o'clock Eastern today. That's why Darius Slay,

the Eagles quarterback. We solved that mystery. He'll be released after 4 o'clock Eastern

today to split the cap charge over two years.

But there won't be nearly as much as what we've already seen.

Most of the available top free agents are gone.

There's still plenty of guys out there looking for work, but much of the work

has already happened. A lot of the money has flowed. And Chris, we've already seen some one-year

deals. We're getting closer and closer to the spot where most of the big deals you're going

...